Top 10 Fusion Albums

Difficult task, but let's see:

United Jazz and Rock Ensemble - Live im Schützenhaus
the first album of this top notch European band caused quite a stir when it came out.
Weather Report - Black Market
in m opinion the best album of  Weather Report..
Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame
Miles Davis is usually given the credit for inventing the genre, but I think that this record really explored the territory while Miles had only taken a step across the border..
Guru Guru - Dance of the Flames
the German answer to "The Inner Mounting Flame", with some of the usual Guru Guru humor thrown in for good measure.
Bruford - Feels Good to Me
I like this album better than "One of a Kind" because of the contributions of Annette Peacock.
Gong - Gazeuse
the album that showed how jazz-rock could sound with a lot of "bingely-bing" thrown in.
Brand X - Unorthodox Behaviour
the first album of Brand X still is a milestone in European fusion.
Volker Kriegel - Inside: Missing Link
this is a double album. the second disc is with the orthodox guitar, keyboards, drums, bass line-up, the first one has a horn section (trombone, trumpet, saxes) thrown in for good measure and is the more experimental of the two. another highlight of European fusion.
Oregon - Winter Lights
this is like a mixture of world music and jazz. nice to listen to by candle light, with frost patterns on the windows.
Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo
this sometimes quite cacophonic album explores the boundaries of orchestral fusion.

this list may be a totally different one on another day. there are just too many great albums to choose from


Edited by BaldJean - August 02 2009 at 09:42

Miles Davis - Agharta
Herbie Hancock - Crossings
Larry Young - Spaceball
Bennie Maupin - Slow Traffic to the Right
Billy Cobham - Shabazz
Santana - Santana I
Jon McLaughlin - Devotion
Jaga Jazzist - What We Must
Osibisa - Superfly TNT soundtrack
Weather Report - I Sing the Body Electric

Edited by Easy Money - August 03 2009 at 12:40

Return to Forever-Where Have I Known You Before
Stanley Clarke-School Days
Weather Report-Heavy Weather
Frank Zappa-Hot Rats
Miles Davis-In A Silent Way
Herbie Hancock-Crossings
Al Di Meola-Elegant Gypsy
Mahavishnu Orchestra-Inner Mounting Flame
Miles Davis-A Tribute to Jack Johnson
Soft Machine-Fourth

1. Colosseum II - Strange New Flesh 2. Colosseum II - Strange New Flesh 3. Colosseum II - Strange New Flesh 4. Colosseum II - Strange New Flesh

#1 Spectrum - Billy Cobham
#2 Unorthodox Behaviour - Brand X
#3 Abraxas - Santana
#4 British Tour '75 - Soft Machine
#5 The Grand Wazoo - Zappa
#6 Bajo Belgrano - Spinetta Jade
#7 Enigmatic Ocean - Jean-Luc Ponty
#8 A Part, Yet Apart - Bill Bruford Earthworks
#9 Visions of the Emerald Beyond - Mahavishnu Orchestra
#10 Minority Report - Alejandro Herrera
#11 American Garage - Pat Metheny Group
#12 Wired/Blow by Blow - Jeff Beck


Edited by The Quiet One - August 03 2009 at 15:41

Elegant Gypsy - Al Di Meola
Black Market - Weather Report
Inner Mountain Flame - Mahavishnu
What If - Dixie Dregs
The Romantic Warrior - Return to Forever
Unorthodox Behavior - Brand X
Spectrum - Billy Cobham
Pat Metheny - Watercolors
Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
Stanley Clarke- Stanley Clarke

^from Amazon, right? If so, I think I've read that, and yes I know I need it right now!!

"Inner Mounting Flame" - Mahavishnu Orchestra
"Spectrum" - Billy Cobham
"Introducing the Eleventh House with Larry Coryell" - Eleventh House
"Return to the Seventh Galaxy: The Anthology" - Return to Forever
"Bitches Brew" - Miles Davis
"Sweetnighter" - Weather Report
"Imaginary Voyage" - Jean-Luc Ponty
"Love Devotion Surrender" - John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana
"World Tour" - The Zawinul Syndicate
"The Elektric Band" - Chick Corea Elektric Band

I have to admit, here--because I no of nowhere else I should put this--that I'm having terrific difficulty enjoying jazz fusion. I love jazz. Coltrane, Davis, Hancock, Tyner, Mingus, etc. But for some reason Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jean-Luc Ponty, Return to Forever, Brand X... all these and more have completely failed to interest me. I wish I could figure out why.

So under this heading, top ten jazz fusion albums, I'm going to have to wildly skew things towards the jazz side and almost entirely away from the fusion. Perhaps.

1. Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
2. Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
3. Herbie Hancock - Headhunters
4. Mogul Thrash - Mogul Thrash (incidentally, I only ever checked out their music because their name is so unbelievably cool)
5. Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up
6. Fromuz - Overlook


And I think that's going to be it. The rest doesn't have enough fusion in it to be allowed here, I don't think.

cstack3 wrote: *sigh*!  I sure miss jazz-rock fusion from the 1980's!